Hoboken + Jersey City Jersey Avenue Closure Starts Today 4/14

Southwest Hoboken will soon have a sliding floodgate to mitigate the impacts during storm surge events. As a part of the next phase of the Rebuild by Design Project, Jersey Avenue between Harrison Street in Hoboken and 18th Street in Jersey City will be closed 24 hours a day for approximately one month to install the foundation of the Resist structure’s sliding gate across Jersey Avenue. The work was slated begin on or around March 31st, 2025, but the City of Hoboken shared with The Hoboken Girl on Friday, March 28th that the closure was being postponed until on or about Monday, April 7th. The closure was again postponed for the  Jersey City Marathon and officially begins April 14, 2025. Read on for more about the next phase of the Rebuild by Design Hudson River Project in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Photo Credit: City of Hoboken

Updates as of April 4th, 2025

A Nixle alert from the City of Hoboken just before 4:30PM on Thursday, April 3rd revealed that the Jersey Avenue closure is being postponed once again for the Jersey City Marathon — which is happening on Sunday, April 13th. The NJDEP will announced April 14, 2025 as the new start date of the closure.

Updates as of March 28th, 2025

Communications Manager for the City of Hoboken, Marilyn Bear, shared with The Hoboken Girl on Friday, March 28th that the upcoming Jersey Avenue closure to start construction on the sliding flood gate is being postponed by the NJDEP until on or about Monday, April 7th. This has now been postponed to April 14, 2025.

What is the New Resist Structure?

Starting on or about Monday, April 14th, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) will begin test pitting and construction activities for the foundation of the Resist structure’s sliding gate across Jersey Avenue. The gate is meant to be deployed during storm surge events like Hurricane Sandy and connect to the nearly 5,000-foot-long southern Resist structure, which will prevent water from the Hudson River from entering the City via the Long Slip Canal in the southern part of Hoboken. When complete, the project will protect portions of Hoboken from storm surge flooding, removing approximately 80 percent of the City from the FEMA-designated flood plain, per the press release.

Read More: What to Do if Your Home Floods in Hudson County

What Parts of Jersey Avenue Will be Closed?

During the construction, Jersey Avenue will be closed to all traffic between Harrison Street in Hoboken and 18th Street in Jersey City for 24 hours a day for approximately one month.

Hoboken Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher told The Hoboken Girl that since both Marin Boulevard and Grove Street currently do not permit left turns into the Holland Tunnel, Hoboken will be working with Jersey City to allow one of these to make left turns. in May and June, one lane will be opened going southbound out of Hoboken while construction continues.

“This outcome—a one-month full closure followed by two months of one-lane southbound access—is a big improvement from the DEP’s initial plan for four to five months of full closure,” Councilwoman Fisher told HG. “I’m glad that Cm Ramos and I pushed for a better solution that minimizes disruption while keeping this critical project on track.”

“Candidly, this road closure is going to be frustrating,” Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla said in a press release. “No one likes traffic detours, and I know this will be difficult for many who rely on Jersey Avenue every day but, the reality is, this short-term pain comes with a long-term payoff. The NJDEP is making a critical investment that will make our city more resilient. In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to ease congestion and keep things moving as smoothly as possible. I appreciate everyone’s patience while we get through this together.”

How Will Traffic Be Affected?

Signs will aid in detouring traffic entering and exiting Hoboken via Grove Street and Marin Boulevard/Henderson Street. Trucks will be directed to use northern roads in and out of the City via Route 495 and can exit from the south via Paterson Avenue/Paterson Plank Road only.

To minimize disruptions, the City, in collaboration with NJDEP, Jersey City, and Hudson County, will implement comprehensive traffic mitigation strategies in advance of construction, including:

• Temporarily striping two extra lanes, one in each direction, on Grove Street between 18th and Newark Streets to provide additional queuing capacity at intersection approaches.
• Temporarily repurposing a striped median as an additional eastbound travel lane on Newark Street between Jackson Street and Monroe Street.
• Posting detour signs and variable messaging boards in key locations to assist drivers with alternate routes.
• Deploying Hoboken and Jersey City police officers to manage traffic circulation and ensure pedestrian safety.
• Adding closures to virtual navigation apps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps.

The City will also temporarily modify signal timing at certain intersections to accommodate detour traffic flows.

Signal timing updates will be at the following intersections:

• Observer Highway/Newark Street + Henderson Street (Hoboken)
• Madison Street + Observer Highway (Hoboken)
• Monroe Street + Grove Street + Newark Street (Hoboken)
• Monroe Street + Observer Highway + Paterson Avenue (Hoboken)
• Paterson Avenue + Harrison Street (Hoboken)
• Jackson Street + Newark Street (Hoboken)
• Observer Highway/New York Avenue + Harrison Street (Hoboken)
• Jackson Street + Paterson Avenue (Hoboken)
• 18^th Street + Jersey Avenue (Jersey City)
• 18^th Street + Grove Street (Jersey City)
• 18^th Street + Marin Boulevard (Jersey City)

Phasing changes + signal modifications (such as adding turn arrows) will be at the following intersections:

• 18^th Street + Grove Street (Jersey City)
• 18^th Street + Marin Boulevard (Jersey City)

Ongoing projects in the southwestern quadrant of Hoboken that require road closures will be on pause during this phase of Rebuild by Design construction to help reduce traffic impacts.

About the Rebuild by Design Project

The Rebuild by Design Hudson River project is a comprehensive flood protection system designed to safeguard portions of Hoboken, Jersey City, and Weehawken against storm surge flooding while integrating flood-resistant infrastructure with new community amenities. Several Resist structures will be integrated into the urban landscape across the City.

In 2023, the City of Hoboken installed flood barricades in low, flood-prone areas as a part of the project. For more flooding resources in Hoboken, head to our comprehensive article here.

See More: 24 Montclair Area News Stories This Week

For future updates on the Jersey Avenue Resist element and closure, click here. For more information about the Rebuild by Design Hudson River Project, click here. For weekly construction schedules on public projects in Hoboken, click here.

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